Our creative team take a look at the year ahead

As the new decade kicked off we saw the perfect opportunity for our creative team to take stock and think about where we’ve come in the world of design in the past few years and what the future holds. We picked the brilliant minds of three members of our creative team to find out what’s forefront when they approach client briefs this year and what trends we can expect to look out for.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, a common theme occurred within the team’s thoughts.

For 2020 we expect to see movement becoming ever more important, and prevalent, within design. Whichever touchpoint we create for, whether that be web, apps, emails – everything should be moving, reacting and adapting. This is an exciting thought, as when implemented appropriately motion design can make a user’s experience hugely more rewarding.

So, let’s hear what the guys had to say…

Micro animations

“Micro animations have been around for some time now, but have really made a big impact within the last year and we can expect the use of micro-animations to only get better over the next 12months.

You’re probably asking yourself, what are micro animations? The short answer is, they are exactly what you’d imagine; small, visual feedback animations which define a state change to a call to action, as an example, but the possibilities of micro animations are endless.

A simple way of using micro animations to benefit user experience would be to add a subtle ripple animation once a call to action has been tapped on a mobile application. As mobile CTAs don’t have hover states, this gives the user feedback once the call to action has been pressed. Additionally, it adds an element of surprise and delight, keeping the user engaged – so watch this space in 2020.”

Paul Tumber, Senior Designer

Movement in branding

“When looking at visual identities, it’s easy to see that the dominance of digital media has only continued to increase. It’s no surprise, therefore, that movement and interaction has become an integral part of brand design. How your logo, typography and graphics move and react to user interaction is now so important in affecting how people experience a brand.

As we move into the next decade and brands start to express themselves in other realities (augmented and virtual) the need for movement becomes even greater. Apple is rumoured to be creating AR glasses and experimenting with a VR headset, so when they and other manufacturers start to release this new hardware to the mass-market, it’s only a matter of time before these new realms become mainstream experiences for the average consumer. Brands will need to consider how motion design in their visual identities is expressed not only through flat digital media but also in three-dimensional environments.”

Rich Cousins, Design Director

Movement in branding

“When looking at visual identities, it’s easy to see that the dominance of digital media has only continued to increase. It’s no surprise, therefore, that movement and interaction has become an integral part of brand design. How your logo, typography and graphics move and react to user interaction is now so important in affecting how people experience a brand.

As we move into the next decade and brands start to express themselves in other realities (augmented and virtual) the need for movement becomes even greater. Apple is rumoured to be creating AR glasses and experimenting with a VR headset, so when they and other manufacturers start to release this new hardware to the mass-market, it’s only a matter of time before these new realms become mainstream experiences for the average consumer. Brands will need to consider how motion design in their visual identities is expressed not only through flat digital media but also in three-dimensional environments.”

Rich Cousins, Design Director

Animation and interaction in eCRM

“Animations and micro animations have started to be used more widely in email designs as the technology available to support them steadily closes the gap to online sites. Although there is a hell of a long way to go yet, things are certainly getting more interesting!

With more email clients now supporting css and web fonts, this is just the beginning; hopefully soon we will lose the archaic systems that have held creativity back for so long, enabling us to push the boundaries of design further and faster. Micro interactions will continue to re-affirm an interaction has been made via a click, tap, drag or hover.

The old saying goes that a picture paints a thousand words. Well, multiply that logic when adding animations and interactions to said picture. We can use moving image to help explain content in a more concerted way, making it easier for our audience to digest and understand information in less time and space, therefore helping to support and develop brand strategy.”

Pete Brown, Senior Designer